News from the SCD Community

Anselm Lingnau

just added »tags« to status updates on my.strathspey.

When you post (or edit) a status update, there is now another field called »Tags« that lets you enter one or more tags to be associated with the update. For example, I have now retroactively added the »database« tag to all my status updates that deal with changes to the Strathspey SCD Database. This makes it easy to retrieve just those status updates using the URL, http://my.strathspey.org/s/anselm/database/.

You can add multiple tags if you separate them with spaces or commas. If you want a tag with a space in it, put it in "double quotes".

I'm deliberately using this »out-of-band« version because it is more versatile and easier to program. If you want Twitter-style »hashtags« you know where to get those.

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 14 February 2014 13:03 (last edited on 14 February 2014 13:19)

Anselm Lingnau

launched the new club-neutral web site for the Rhein-Main mini socials (German only, for now), a cooperative project between the dance groups in the Rhine-Main area where once a month we visit one of the groups to dance a short programme of dances (with a walk-through but no explicit instruction). Part of the programme is replaced every month. We've been doing this for half a year now and it is quite successful if I say so myself.

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 11 February 2014 11:14

Anselm Lingnau

posted the newest version of MiniCribs to the Strathspey SCD Database earlier today.

I also changed my automatic notifier to check the new MiniCribs web site, so we shall hopefully see new versions in the database much sooner after they appear on the official site.

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 10 February 2014 21:29 (last edited on 14 February 2014 12:52)

Anselm Lingnau

We moved our mail server to another machine last weekend, and since then Hotmail refuses to talk to the new one. This means that Hotmail-based subscribers to Strathspey mailing lists (including the Strathspey list itself but also lists like dancedata-friends or scddb-issues) will not be receiving mail from these lists (or indeed from myself) until this issue is resolved. I'm working with Hotmail to get this sorted but the experience is very close to kicking a dead whale along the beach.

Hotmail is currently pointing the finger at Symantec (another whale of a company), who, on behalf of Hotmail, seem to operate something called a »Brightmail Filter« – apparently messages from our server aren't bright enough or something. Hotmail promises to get back to me in at most 5 days. I'm not holding my breath. Sorry for the inconvenience.

(PSA: You really don't want to use Hotmail. Their being a Microsoft subsidiary should already tell you all you need to know about Hotmail. If e-mail providers were cars, Hotmail would be a broken-down Yugo. If e-mail providers were movies, Hotmail would be Heaven's Gate. If e-mail providers were places, Hotmail would be that unsavoury area around the train station where the drunks, petty criminals, and hookers hang out and respectable people don't like to stay for longer than they absolutely need to. If you're a Hotmail user, then do yourselves and the rest of the world a favour and find an e-mail provider that actually knows how to do e-mail.)

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 15 January 2014 13:43

Anselm Lingnau

In other news, registration for the 46th Frankfurt Spring Ball & Day School on 26 April is now open. Daphne Scobie will be teaching during the day, Dagmar Suhm will lead the afternoon walk-through, and Christine Moos and yours truly will be scraping the catgut/pounding the ivory on the night. See you there!

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 15 January 2014 12:59 (last edited on 14 February 2014 13:21)

Anselm Lingnau

just added a feature to the »Complex Dance Search« form in the dance database which lets you filter the results by lists. In other words, you get to enter the name of a dance list and the result will only contain dances that are in that list and also match all the other criteria that you specified.

What makes this really useful is that the »list name« can actually be a regular expression that matches a number of lists. Hence if you want to see all the reels on (recent) Frankfurt Spring Ball programmes, select »Reel« in the »Type« drop-down and enter »Frankfurt Spring Ball« into the »Lists« field. If you want to see all the three-couple set dances that the Frankfurt SCD Club did in 2013, set up the »Couples« and »Set shape« drop-downs accordingly and put »FSCDC.*2013« (note: »dot-star« – this stands for »any number of arbitrary characters«) into the »Lists« field. Enjoy!

(This feature was suggested by Sir Toby.)

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 15 January 2014 12:54 (last edited on 14 February 2014 12:52)

Sir Toby

I am interested in teaching intermediate classes. Get in touch with me. http://dancingmaster.de.tl

Regards, Tobias

· Posted by Sir Toby · 13 December 2013 23:06

Anselm Lingnau

published the invitation to the 10th FSCDC/CGB Tea Dance, which will take place on 11 January. We will be dancing a selection of Ann Dix's dances in her memory.

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 22 November 2013 11:03 (last edited on 14 February 2014 13:21)

Anselm Lingnau

has added an event calendar to the my.strathspey site. (Note also the »Upcoming Events« sidebar in the right-hand column.)

Right now this only displays events from SCD groups which have their web pages on my.strathspey. We'll look at adding events from other sources later.

· Posted by Anselm Lingnau · 2 October 2013 23:07 (last edited on 14 February 2014 13:22)

David Bowen

Hi I have just updated my web site and offer you my accordion services, I am willing to travel throughout UK to play for Scottish Country Dance groups - give me a call on 07824 333 769

· Posted by David Bowen · 26 September 2013 12:22 (last edited on 26 September 2013 12:22)